Axle stub-removing tool



March 1951 w. F. DRlTLEY AXLE STUB-REMOVING TOOL Filed Dec. 6, 1946Patented Mar. 6, 1951 UNITED STATES .E ATENT OFFICE AXLE 'STUB-REMOVING,TOOL

William. F. Dritley, Benton Harbor, Mich.

Application December 6, 1946, Serial No. 714,570

2 Claims. 1.

This invention relates to gripping tools, and more particularly to atool for removing broken axle stubs from automotive vehicles.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedaxle-gripping tool which is very simple in construction, easy to use andreliable in performance.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improvedaxle-gripping tool which is inexpensive to manufacture, sturdy inconstruction and which may be effectively employed by a relativelyunskilled operator.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparentfrom the following description and claims, and from the accompanyingdrawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of an axle stubremoving tool constructedin accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal cross-sectional view taken throughthe tool of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal longitudinal cross-sectional view taken throughthe tool of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end view of the tool of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 ofFigure 3.

Referring to the drawings, II designates an elongated tubular housing ofsuitable material such as pipe stock. Slidably positioned inside housingII is a generally cylindrical block or plunger member I2 formed with alongitudinal keyway I3 which slidably engages a lug or key I4 projectingfrom the inner wall surface of housing II. Threadedly engaging the rearend portion of plunger I2 is a rod member I5 extending rearwardly inhousing H and secured to a handle member It rotatably mounted in therear portion of said housing. Secured in the rear portion of the housingis a pilot screw I! having an inwardly projecting end I8 which isengaged in an annular groove I9 formed in the shank of handle member Itfor restraining said handle member against longitudinal movement withrespect to the housing.

Plunger member I2 carries at its forward end a pair of parallel lugs 20,.29 and pivotally secured to the lugs by respective transverse pins 2Iand 22 are a pair of forwardly projecting jaw members 23 and 24projecting through a diametrical slot 28 in the end wall of housing IIand formed with respective serrated gripping fingers and 26. Positionedin opposed recesses formed in the jaw members is a biasing spring '21which urges the jaw members apart.

When handle member I6 is rotated in one direction, plunger member I2 ismoved rearwardly in housing I I, causing the gripping fingers 25 and 26to be moved closer together, and when the handle member I6 is rotated inthe opposite direction, the plunger member I2 is moved forwardly,whereby spring 21 urges the gripping fingers apart.

In operation, the tool is inserted into the axle housing and thegripping fingers 25 and 26 are engaged in diametrically opposite splinegrooves in the broken axle stub. Handle member I6 is then rotated tomove plunger member I2 rearwardly, and thus tighten the grippingengagement of fingers 2-5 and 26 with the axle. The axle may then bepulled out of the axle housing. To release the broken stub after it hasbeen withdrawn from the axle housing, handle member I6 is rotated in theopposite direction.

The tool may be taken apart by unscrewing pilot screw II, thus allowingthe inner parts to be withdrawn from housing II.

The outer diameter of housing II is made less than the maximum outsidediameter of an axle so that the tool may be readily inserted in the axlehousing. By employing a suitable outer diameter of housing I I, the toolmay be employed with a wide range of axle sizes, since handle member I6may be rotated to adjust the distance between gripping fingers 25 and 26in accordance with the groove diameter of the axle stub which is to beremoved.

While a specific embodiment of an axle stubgripping tool has beendisclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood thatvarious modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitationsbe placed on the invention other than as defined by the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Gripping mechanism for extracting axle stubs from axle housingscomprising a tubular casing having an end wall and a diametrical slot inthe end wall, a rod member mounted in said casing for movement forwardlyand backwardly, a plunger slidable within said casing and having one endsecured to one end of said rod member, a pair of lugs arranged inparallel spaced relation projecting from and fixedly carried by theother end of said plunger, means for preventing rotation of the plungerwithin the casing and arranged to maintain said lugs parallel to saiddiametrical slot as the plunger moves slidably within the casing, a pairof jaw members arranged in face-to-face relationship with respect toeach other projecting from the end wall of said casing slidably throughthe diametrical slot interfittingly therewith and pivotally mounted onand disposed between said lugs for movement toward and away from eachother, and spring means mounted in the confronting faces of said jawmembers and spaced from the pivotal mounting of the latter for biasingthe jaw members away from each other.

2. Gripping mechanism for extracting axle stubs from axle housingscomprising a tubular casing having an end wall and a diametrical slot inthe end wall, a rod member mounted in said casing for movement forwardlyand backwardly, a plunger slidable within said casing and having one endsecured to one end of said rod member, a pair of lugs arranged inparallel spaced relation projecting from and fixedly carried by theother end of said plunger, said plunger being formed with a longitudinalgroove, a lug carried by the inner wall surface of the casing slidablyengaging in said groove and so positioned on the wall surface to arrangesaid lugs in parallel relation with respect to said diametrical slot, 2.pair of jaw members arranged in face-to-face relationship with respectto each other projecting from the end wall of said casing slidablythrough the diametrical slot interfittingly therewith and pivotallymounted on and disposed between said lugs for movement toward and awayfrom each other, there being opposed recesses in the confronting facesof said jaw members and spaced from the pivotal mounting ofthe latter,and spring means mounted in said recesses for biasing the jaw membersaway from each other.

. WILLIAM F. DRITLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 37,332 Chapman Jan. 6, 1863714,989 Worthington Dec. 2, 1902 720,078 Smith et al Feb. 10, 1903840,380 Savidge Jan. 1, 1907 1,346,022 Hassel July 6, 1920 1,814,368Chapman July 14, 1931 2,421,324 Graham May 27, 1947

